Chapter 206: Purchasing Blessings

After deducting the monthly stipends for the two of them, only 35,200 contribution points remained from the initial 44,000.

Lu Ye placed his hand on the Heavenly Mystery Pillar and, with a thought, used sect contribution points to purchase an enhancement. A clicking sound emanated from within the pillar, indicating a change had occurred.

It was the same as last time. As 1,000 contribution points were deducted, the spirit energy concentration in the outpost increased by ten percent.

Another ten percent increase in spirit energy cost 1,500 contribution points. The third enhancement cost 2,000 contribution points. Each subsequent enhancement required an additional 500 points.

When the sect's remaining contribution points reached 2,700, Lu Ye stopped. He couldn't afford any more enhancements, as the next one would cost a full 6,000 points. The clicking sounds from within the Heavenly Mystery Pillar were incessant, indicating significant internal changes.

Simultaneously, the sky above the outpost dramatically shifted. A visible vortex of spirit energy formed, drawing vast amounts of ambient spirit energy towards the outpost. The registered disciples and rogue cultivators exploring the outpost watched this scene in astonishment. However, as they felt the surrounding spirit energy rapidly intensify, they immediately understood what was happening. They were instantly filled with joy and excitement.

The vortex phenomenon only dissipated after a full hour. By then, the spirit energy concentration at the Jade Blood Sect's outpost had significantly increased. Including the enhancement Lu Ye purchased a month prior, the Heavenly Mystery Pillar at the Jade Blood Sect outpost now boasted a total of eleven enhancements. The spirit energy in the outpost was now 2.2 times more potent than in the wilderness!

Such an enhancement was incredibly powerful. Cultivating in this environment was more than twice as efficient as in the wilderness.

Lu Ye had only recently learned the severe consequences of a sect outpost being conquered. He used to think that even if an outpost was overrun, as long as the territory remained, the losses wouldn't be too significant—perhaps just some destroyed facilities and a few fallen disciples. Now, however, he understood: once an outpost was captured, all enhancements on its Heavenly Mystery Pillar would be seized! This meant that the accumulated efforts of one, or even several, generations could be completely lost—an unbearable blow indeed!

He finally understood why Dong Shuye had defected from the Nine Star Sect. With their outpost overrun by the Xuan Sect and its Heavenly Mystery Pillar enhancements stolen, how could Dong Shuye, a seventh-layer cultivator, bear such a grave responsibility? Defection was his only alternative to certain death.

Each Spirit Stream Defense Battle was a carnival for the sects of the Nine Provinces. In such a grand event, sects lacking contribution points could, if fortunate enough, plunder enhancements from other sects. For the Jade Blood Sect, tens of thousands of contribution points at this stage was an unimaginable sum. Had Lu Ye and Hua Ci not gained so much in the Spirit Stream Defense Battle, such a significant increase in outpost spirit energy would have been impossible. Relying solely on donations from disciples, it would have taken an incredibly long time to achieve the current effect.

Yet, a single Spirit Stream Defense Battle had doubled the outpost's spirit energy, and both Lu Ye and Hua Ci had profited immensely. For any sect, the Spirit Stream Defense Battle was an opportunity for small gains to lead to large ones. Of course, one also had to be prepared for corresponding immediate losses. An enhancement costing 500 contribution points was minor; the true losses were the deaths of a sect's defense envoys and deputy envoys. Even so, this did not dampen the enthusiasm of the Nine Provinces' sects for participating in this grand event. However, such opportunities were rare; the Spirit Stream Defense Battle only occurred once every three years. Lu Ye estimated that he would no longer be in the Spirit Stream Battlefield three years from now.

"Oh, right," Lu Ye remembered something else. He took the Breath Fruit core out of his storage bag. "Want to try this?"

"What's this Breath Fruit core for?"

"It's simply beneficial for cultivation. You'll know once you try it." Lu Ye tossed the Breath Fruit core to her.

Hua Ci caught it and channeled spirit energy into it. A mischievous smile immediately appeared on Lu Ye's face.

A moment later, Hua Ci suddenly opened her eyes, groaning and gasping for breath. A thin layer of sweat covered her forehead, as if she had experienced something terrifying. She even looked down at her abdomen to ensure it was unharmed before letting out a long sigh of relief.

"Were you scared?" Lu Ye asked, both amused and exasperated. He and Shui Yuan had both tried the Breath Fruit core and hadn't reacted so strongly.

Hua Ci looked up at him, her eyes filled with reproach. After a long moment of silence, she finally said, "Give me back my fifty contribution points!"

"You're a rich woman now, why care about fifty contribution points?"

Hua Ci glared at Lu Ye indignantly, tossing the Breath Fruit core back to him. It was a good item, but not suitable for her. She then turned and walked out.

As she reached the Heavenly Mystery Hall's entrance, she suddenly turned back with a smile. "You'd better not get injured in the future."

Lu Ye's face darkened. "That's not fair..."

After Hua Ci left, Lu Ye put away the Breath Fruit core and lowered his head to examine his battle imprint.

Name: Lu Ye.Identity: Jade Blood Sect Disciple.Cultivation: Eighty-six orifices.Location: Spirit Stream Battlefield.Contribution Points: 5,352.

The number of contribution points was astonishingly high—over five thousand. He could buy more than twenty portions of Earth Core Fire with that. Of course, this was partly because he had earlier issued himself a monthly stipend of 4,400 points. Even without the stipend, he would still have nearly a thousand contribution points. All of these points were earned from battles in the Chess Sea. His sixth-layer cultivation gave him a significant advantage in the Spirit Stream Defense Battle; simply defeating a seventh-layer cultivator yielded fourteen contribution points. Indeed, one must seize opportunities to gain wealth. He resolved to participate in more such advantageous events in the future.

His cultivation hadn't changed much, with only two additional orifices opened since before the Spirit Stream Defense Battle. This was mainly because it was difficult to maintain a full state of spirit energy in that environment, and cultivation was impossible without it. All assimilated spirit energy was used for recovery. However, it didn't matter. With the outpost's spirit energy now twice as dense as before, his cultivation efficiency would undoubtedly increase significantly.

Lu Ye was now quite wealthy, with no need to worry about contribution points for a while and abundant cultivation resources. He entered the Heavenly Mystery Vault and bought ten portions of Earth Core Fire in one go, spending 2,000 contribution points. He could have bought more, but with the Breath Fruit core providing an alternative use for contribution points, it was wise to keep some in reserve.

Carrying the ten portions of Earth Core Fire, Lu Ye excitedly headed towards his private cultivation room. He encountered many people along the way, all of whom stopped to bow. Some addressed him as "Fifth Senior Brother"—these were fellow sect disciples. Although Li Baxian was a disciple of the Danxin Sect, he always had a place within the Jade Blood Sect, ranking fourth. Thus, Lu Ye was naturally fifth, followed by Hua Ci as sixth, Kong Niu as seventh, Yiyi as eighth, and Ruan Lingyu as ninth. Those after Ruan Lingyu had no specific rank. Others called him "Envoy Lu"—these were rogue cultivators affiliated with the sect. The outpost was noticeably much livelier, unlike before when not a soul could be seen.

Entering his private cultivation room, Lu Ye sat cross-legged, taking out portions of Earth Core Fire and allowing his Talent Tree to fully absorb them. As the Earth Core Fire vanished, leaves on the Talent Tree began to burn, with each portion of Earth Core Fire igniting roughly one leaf. By the time all the Earth Core Fire was gone, fourteen leaves on the Talent Tree were ablaze. Lu Ye had never before ignited so many leaves at once; he had only ever obtained four spirit patterns from the Talent Tree in total. Gazing at the burning leaves, Lu Ye's heart pounded with excitement. The contents held within these leaves were incredibly valuable treasures.

Taking a deep breath, Lu Ye's gaze resolutely fixed on the fifth leaf. Unexpectedly, this time he didn't feel much discomfort. A short while later, Lu Ye opened his eyes, his expression peculiar. The situation was somewhat different from what he expected. Although the fifth leaf also contained a spirit pattern, it was unlike the previous four. The ones he had acquired—Sharpness, Defense, and Spirit Gathering Blood Stain—all had clear focuses: offense, defense, or support. However, this fifth spirit pattern was exceptionally unique. It couldn't function independently; in other words, even if Lu Ye constructed it, it would be useless on its own. It was a linking spirit pattern. Simply put, it could connect different spirit patterns, allowing them to function simultaneously. It was less a spirit pattern and more a technique.

Lu Ye had seen this technique before. The Immovable Mountain Blade contained nine spirit patterns: seven for strengthening the blade and two for increasing its destructive power. These nine patterns were interconnected using a special technique, allowing them to function as a cohesive unit and all contribute to the blade's efficacy. He had previously been quite interested in this ingenious method but never had the time to study it. Furthermore, given his current proficiency in spirit patterns, he likely wouldn't have discovered much even if he had. Only now did he realize that, beyond the spirit patterns that served various functions, there existed something that could connect different spirit patterns.

After a brief recovery, Lu Ye began examining the sixth leaf. To his surprise, it also contained a linking spirit pattern, though significantly different from the one on the fifth leaf. It seemed that connecting different spirit patterns required distinct techniques. It wasn't until the seventh leaf that Lu Ye finally found a spirit pattern that could function independently.

He continued examining them one by one, resting and cultivating whenever he felt tired. In this place, he didn't need to exert much effort to cultivate. The ambient spirit energy continuously flowed into his body thanks to the Spirit Gathering Funnel, and the ingested spirit pills were ground into spirit energy by the Gluttonous Feast technique. Essentially, as long as he sat there, switched his cultivation method to Gluttonous Feast, and constructed the Spirit Gathering pattern within his orifices, his strength would continuously improve. Of course, he still needed to actively exert himself when trying to break through orifice barriers.